Used Car Buying for Dummies – A Step by Step Guide

1.       Decide what your budget is and stick to it.

2.       Do some research on the years, makes, and models that will fit your budget.  Good places to do pricing research are http://www.nadaguides.com and http://www.kbb.com .  Your purchace price for a vehicle should not exceed these values unless the automobile is exceptional in some way.  A good place to do general research is http://www.google.com .

3.       Once you’ve narrowed down a few models, check your local papers and internet shopping resources such as http://www.craigslist.com and http://www.autotrader.com to get a feel of the actual asking prices for the vehicles that interest you.  Compare those prices to the valuations noted on the Kelley Blue Book and NADA Guides websites.

4.       Go out to different dealerships/individuals and see some vehicles that are comparable to each other.  This will give you a feel for what is out there for the price.  After looking at a few vehicles in the same price range, you will be in a better position to recognize a decent deal and more confident in making a reasonable offer on a vehicle.

5.       Once you find a vehicle you want to purchase, ask about any possible maintenance issues.  Realize that no used car will be perfect, but expect that all major mechanical issues have been dealt with by the dealer.  The vehicle should be safe to drive.  If there are any items in doubt, ask if you can bring your mechanic to look at or if the car can be brought to his shop. 

6.       Make an offer on the vehicle and place a down payment on it to hold it.  Before finalizing the deal be sure that the auto gets a clean bill of health from the dealership or a private mechanic.

7.       Ask about warranties and guarantees.  Be aware of the NYS Lemon Law that every Dealer must abide by -- Click HERE for specifics.

8.       Be aware that in NYS, taxes must be paid to the state by the purchaser through the dealer.  The purchaser must also pay for a NYS inspection ($37) and Registration fees for license plates (around $150 for new plates).

9.    A Note on Carfax:  Carfax is a decent method of determining some sort of history about a vehicle.  We find it useful for checking how many owners the car had and also whether or not it has been in any accidents.  That said, Carfax has its limits.  You can have a vehicle that shows one owner on the Carfax and no accidents, and after inspecing the vehicle you may find that it has been in several unreported collisions.  The bottom line is that you have to inspect a vehicle to tell whether it is in a good and safe condition or not.  We have interacted with customers that completely disqualify a vehicle because carfax reports an accident, and yet they would purchase a vehicle with a clean carfax, even though it was actually in an accident and repaired that they did not know about.  We inspect all the vehicles we sell and even sell vehicles with accidents on the Carfax!  Why???  Well, we just look over the vehicle to make sure the accident was only a fender bender.  If its anything worse than that, we don't even bring the vehicle on our lot.  You see, if a vehicle suffers damage that is worse than just cosmetic, it may be unsafe to drive.  Such vehicles are usually sold with what is called a "Salvage Title," and we do not sell vehicles with that sort of damage for the simple fact that thay are not always safe and structurally sound enough to sustain any further crashes.